Nelson c



(No Model.)

N. 0. OAKLEY.

MEAT KNIFE.

No. 420,090. fl Patent-ed Jan. 28, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON O. OAKLEY, OF DEPOSIT, NEW YORK.

MEAT-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,090, dated January 28, 1890.

Application filed April 29, 1889. SeriaI'No. 308,925. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NELSON C. OAKLEY, a citlnen of the United States, residing at Deposit, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Knives; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica- Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. I

My invention is that of a kitchen-knife designed more especially for cutting meat, and may be used as a common butcher-knife or for a chopping-knife, as the occasion requires, without the need of keeping. two implements at hand.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the knife when opened up for a chopping-knife. Fig. 2 shows it when partially opened, one side of the handlebeing removed to show the construction. Fig. 3 shows it when shut back for use as a butcher-knife, one side of the handle being off in this also.

The handle A is made of thin metal plates a, preferably with wooden coverings riveted on, substantially the same as the handle of the common pocket-knife. Between the two sections of the handle is the back spring B,

held in place by the rivet b, which passes through the two sections of the handle and through the spring, holding all firmly together. The ends ofthe spring are left unconfined. The spring is made, preferably, as shown, lighter between the rivet and the ends than at the middle or the ends, so that it may be more flexible. Pivoted at the ends of the handle and working upon rivets passing through them and the two sections of the handle, are the straight bars 0 and D, which are fitted at their pivoted ends with full square ends to rest firmly against the spring when the knife is opened up for a choppingknife. The lower end of each of these bars is slotted to receive the lugs e e. The bar C has a shoulder a at the upper end to rest against the spring B and operate as a stop when the knife is shut down for a butcherknife. The bars must be made of the proper length, so that when the knife is opened out the bar D will close down in the handle at the heel of the other, as shown in Fig. 3. This matter of the length can be easily adjusted by the manufacturer, as it depends upon the length of the knife.

The blade E is made of tempered steel and may be shaped as desired; but the form shown in the drawings is that which seems the most desirable for ordinary uses. At the upper side of the blade are two lugs e e, which are pivoted in the slots in the bars 0 D. These lugs are made square and of the same height as the width of the bars, so that when the blade is shut back, as in Fig. 3, they do not project beyond the bars.

When closed down, the bar 0 lies along the back of the blade, the shoulder c resting against the end of'the back spring B, and the bar D, closing in at the heel of bar 0, forms a complete and rigid support for the blade. To change it to a chopping-knife while holding the handle in one hand, the corner E of the blade is drawn up, as shown in Fig. 2, until it reaches the upright form shown in Fig. 1. The back spring B, holding sharp down upon the square ends of the bars, keeps the knife in this position until pushed over by the operator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A knife comprising a handle A, consisting of two sections, aback spring B, between said sections, held in place by a rivetb, bars 0 and D, each pivoted at one end to and between the handle-sections at opposite ends thereof, and a blade E, pivoted to the opposite ends of the bars 0 and D, the bar 0 being provided. 

